ARTISTS’ STUDIO VISITS

HENRY VERMILLION & BRITT ZAIST

Henry Vermillion www.henryvermillion.com and Britt Zaist www.brittzaist.com are prominent San Miguel artists who recently closed their art gallery, Galeria Izamal www.galeriaizamal.com after 29 years of successful operation in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

They now offer a personalized and informal visit to their studios. Henry´s work is figurative and expressionistic; Britt does ink gesture drawings and bold-color abstracts.

Aside from their studio work spaces, visitors will see their extensive home art gallery, with available work by both artists. Other collections of the artists: pre-hispanic artifacts and bonsai – are a unique feature of the visit.

ABOUT HENRY VERMILLION

A native of El Paso, Texas, Henry Vermillion grew up in West Texas and New Mexico. He graduated from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and, did post-graduate work at the University of Texas in Austin. He lived and worked for twenty years in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was for five years President of the Wake Visual Arts Association, Raleigh´s largest art organization. He won many awards in state-wide art competitions, and his work was shown at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. In 1988, he was awarded the prestigious Raleigh Medal of the Arts.

He and his wife, Britt Zaist, settled in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1991. In 1992, they founded (with other fellow artists) Galeria Izamal, the artists´ co-operative venue which they maintained successfully for 29 years.

Among his other activities, he was a founding board member of the San Miguel Theater Company, which began their productions in 2014. He designed many sets, acted, and directed there.

He has taught art at the Instituto Allende and has conducted a traditional Tuesday Night Life Drawing Session for almost forty years. He is currently offering Expressive Drawing Classes in his home.

Currently, his paintings can be seen at Galeria Blue Moon and at his home/studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

• www.henryvermillion.com / www.galeriaizamal.com

• Cell/WhatsApp: (+52) 415 215 1591

• Home Phone: 415 152 6171

ABOUT BRITT ZAIST

A native New Yorker born in 1946, Britt Zaist received her art training at the famous Art Students League of New York City where she is a Life Member. She is well-known for her abstract paintings in colored permanent inks; as well as for her few stroke ink gesture drawings drawn with an ink stopper.

Britt and her husband, Henry Vermillion settled in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1991. In 1992, they founded (with other fellow artists) Galeria Izamal, the artist co-operative they ran successfully for 29 years - closing in 2021 as the oldest gallery in San Miguel.

Britt teaches experimental abstract painting 2-day workshops, 4-hour demonstration abstract painting workshops as well as doing drawings and commissioned pet portraits in ink and ink and acrylic abstract paintings.

• www.brittzaist.com / www.galeriaizamal.com

• Cell/WhatsApp: (+52) 415 115 5888

• Home Phone: 415 152 6171

PLEASE CONTACT US TO SCHEDULE AN ARTISTS’ STUDIO VISIT

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THIS WILL BE THE LAST NEWSLETTER FOR GALERIA IZAMAL.

From December 2023, monthly newsletters will come from www.henryvermillion.com and/or www.brittzaist.com to our same contact list.

“LIGHTEN UP”

By Henry Vermillion

I was going to say that someone said that about my paintings, but in truth, I said it to myself. Lighten up. Why all the faces of odious politicians, bar flies, and such? Do more things you (and other people) enjoy. Stop being a preacher. So, I painted a stylized, bright colored oil of our three dogs “Big, Molly and Sam”. Bright San Miguel colors. The painting was in the “ARTanimals“ Show at Galeria Blue Moon several weeks ago. It was a benefit for the Sociedad Protectora de Animals (S.P.A.). Sure enough, the painting sold! Not only that, two people asked me to paint another version of the same picture for them.

Since then, I´ve done a couple more in that more colorful style. We´ll see.

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By Ray Herrera-Leguizamo

ARTanimals, the new exhibition at Galeria Blue Moon (Stirling Dickinson #7, San Antonio, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico) is a show with a cause. Along with our other extraordinary artists, I am presenting three paintings inspired by the realm of animals. These pictures of wolves, bulls, and birds of prey tell stories of nature and its many meanings in our daily reality.

My friends and I at Galeria Blue Moon believe that art can help important causes---in this case, the Sociedad Protectora de Animales de San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The work of the S.P.A speaks volumes about who we are and about how best to treat our pets and the animals we live with here on this earth. The S.P.A. is a legacy to San Miguel and its animal residents for future generations of people and animals, but more than that it is a labor of love. The S.P.A., founded in the 1980´s, is the oldest independent animal adoption agency in San Miguel. Their shelter is located at Los Pinos #7, just off the Calzada Del Estacion.

My paintings and those of us who work at Galeria Blue Moon are celebrating the S.P.A with this show. Twenty-five percent of all sales of the artwork sold during the show will go directly to the S.P.A., including all sales at the special silent auction which will be featured at the closing cocktail from 5 to 8 pm, Saturday, September 30. The auction will begin with reduced minimum bids on all artwork.

Please don´t miss the outstanding artworks, and the chance to help the needy animals of San Miguel!

Por Ray Herrera-Leguizamo

ARTanimal, es una nueva exposición con causa en Galería Bluemoon. Junto a extraordinarios artistas presento estas tres pinturas que hice inspirado en el reino de los animales y sus paisajes. Lobos, toros y aves rapaces cuentan historias de la naturaleza y sus significados en nuestra realidad cotidiana.

En esta ocasión mis amigos de Bluemoon y yo creemos que el arte puede ayudar de manera significativa a causas importantes, cómo lo que hace SPA aquí en San Miguel. De nosotros habla mucho sobre quienes somos como sociedad el trato que damos a nuestras mascotas y a los animales con quien nos ha tocado convivir en esta tierra. En esencia es un legado a las generaciones futuras pero más que nada es un acto de amor.

Hoy mi pintura, y todos los que convivimos y trabajamos en Bluemoon, lo celebramos al hacer un llamado a reconocer y apoyar el esfuerzo por cuidar a nuestros animales mejorar la percepción que tenemos de ellos.

ARTanimal, Galería Bluemoon, viernes 8 de septiembre 5pm a 8pm apertura, subasta silenciosa, viernes 29 de septiembre a partir de 5pm. Stirling Dickinson 7, Col. San Antonio, SMA

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ELVIA SAMANIEGO

The photographic series "What inspires me" is a project done together with my daughter Ximena about women who have contributed to the world through their beliefs, work, skills and conviction to realize their dreams.

At the time, my daughter was 11 years old and had many dreams to realize and she fervently believes that men and women should have the same opportunities in life. For this reason, she decided to look for inspirational women in her life, researched their lives and achievements, and in the end, we made this representation of each of them through the photo shoot.

• Ada Lovelace – Mathematician. Mother of computer programming as the creator of the first computer algorithm.

• Amelia Earhart - Aviator. She was the first aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

• Anna Pavlova - Dancer. She was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the leading artists of the Imperial Russian Ballet.

• Artemisa Gentileschi - Painter. Considered one of the most important Italian artists of the XVII century.

• Coco Chanel - Designer. She is the only fashion designer to appear in the list of the hundred most influential people of the 20th century.

• Florence Nightingale - Nurse. Considered a forerunner of contemporary professional nursing and creator of the first conceptual model of nursing.

• Gertrude Ederle - Swimmer. She was the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

• Helen Keller - Activist. Being blind and deaf, this drove her throughout her life to fight for people with disabilities.

• Malala Yousafzai - Activist. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17, becoming the youngest person to access that award in any of the categories awarded.

• Margaret Keane - Painter. Known for creating mainly melancholy, wide-eyed children.

• Maria Callas - Opera singer. Considered the most eminent opera singer of the 20th century.

• Marie Curie - Scientist. Pioneer in the field of radioactivity, she is the first and only person to receive two Nobel Prizes.

• Virginia Woolf - Writer. Considered one of the most prominent figures of 20th century Anglo-Saxon avant-garde modernism and international feminism.

• Zaha Hadid - Architect. One of the world's leading figures in contemporary architecture.

• Yelena Isinbayeva - Athlete. Former Russian athlete, specialized in pole vault, Olympic, World and European champion in this event.

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL:

ELVIA SAMANIEGO

La serie fotográfica “What inspires me” es un proyecto realizado en conjunto con mi hija Ximena sobre mujeres que han contribuido al mundo a través de sus creencias, trabajo, habilidades y convicción para realizar sus sueños.

En ese entonces, mi hija tenía 11 años y muchos sueños por realizar y ella cree fervientemente que los hombres y las mujeres deberíamos tener las mismas oportunidades en la vida. Por esta razón, decidió buscar mujeres que le inspiren en su vida, investigó sus vidas y logros, y al final, hicimos esta representación de cada una de ellas a través de la sesión fotográfica.

• Ada Lovelace – Mathematician. Mother of computer programming as the creator of the first computer algorithm.

• Amelia Earhart - Aviator. She was the first aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

• Anna Pavlova - Dancer. She was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the leading artists of the Imperial Russian Ballet.

• Artemisa Gentileschi - Painter. Considered one of the most important Italian artists of the XVII century.

• Coco Chanel - Designer. She is the only fashion designer to appear in the list of the hundred most influential people of the 20th century.

• Florence Nightingale - Nurse. Considered a forerunner of contemporary professional nursing and creator of the first conceptual model of nursing.

• Gertrude Ederle - Swimmer. She was the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

• Helen Keller - Activist. Being blind and deaf, this drove her throughout her life to fight for people with disabilities.

• Malala Yousafzai - Activist. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17, becoming the youngest person to access that award in any of the categories awarded.

• Margaret Keane - Painter. Known for creating mainly melancholy, wide-eyed children.

• Maria Callas - Opera singer. Considered the most eminent opera singer of the 20th century.

• Marie Curie - Scientist. Pioneer in the field of radioactivity, she is the first and only person to receive two Nobel Prizes.

• Virginia Woolf - Writer. Considered one of the most prominent figures of 20th century Anglo-Saxon avant-garde modernism and international feminism.

• Zaha Hadid - Architect. One of the world's leading figures in contemporary architecture.

• Yelena Isinbayeva - Athlete. Former Russian athlete, specialized in pole vault, Olympic, World and European champion in this event.

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“WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS FOR PAINTINGS?”

By Henry Vermillion

Painters and writers sometimes share the same problem: that blank piece of paper, that blank canvas in front of them. What to do next? As a painter, I usually start drawing something, most anything. So, as I was doodling recently, I picked up an old magazine, a thin one. It was from the local history museum in a small Texas town where my Dad owned and edited a weekly newspaper. “The Famous and the Infamous of Eastland”, the title read., next to an old photo of a local lawman killed in a jailbreak in 1927. The man who broke out of jail, killing his jailer to escape, was Marshall Ratliff, the famous “Santa Claus Bank Robber.”

A few weeks earlier, dressed as Santa, Ratliff had ha ha-ed and ho-hoed his way into the bank in the nearby town of Cisco, pulled out his pistol, and walked out with several thousand dollars and more of securities. He and his three henchmen escaped in a hail of bullets, and after a Bonnie and Clyde-type chase over three counties, with stolen cars, child hostages, and more gunfights, he was captured and jailed in Eastland. The event made national news. (If a movie wasn´t made about it, someone missed their chance.)

I put the magazine down and continued drawing and doodling, but the Santa Claus saga kept recurring to me, so I drew the deceased lawman´s face on the canvas at hand. His name was “Uncle” Tom Jones, Lawman, Family Man and Friend to Many, his photo caption said. (After Ratliff was captured, he feigned insanity in his jail cell, and had to be fed and cared for, until his jailers carelessly one day left his cell door open. He found a pistol in the jailer´s desk, mortally shot one jailer, but was subdued by the second before he could escape. When it became known that the first jailer had died, a night crowd of several hundred citizens hauled him out of his cell---he was naked---and strung him up from a telephone pole near the Courthouse. As he was being hoisted up, the rope broke. Another rope was found, and he was properly hoisted back up. But, no! said someone. He has no clothes on! Ratliff was lowered a second time, pants were pulled onto him, and he was left to be seen the next morning, decently clothed, by decent citizenry.

I´m adding more details to the picture now.

People often ask where I get my ideas for paintings. Well, now you know.

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COLLECTORS OF TAURINE ART:

A NOTE OF OPPORTUNITY

Henry Vermillion

My wife, Britt Zaist and I have one of the world´s most extensive collection of art works on paper/canvas of the late and legendary American artist/matador John Fulton. In addition, we have rare copies of his book “Bullfighting”, a signed/dedicated copy of “Little Egret and Toro” (by Robert Vavra with drawings by John Fulton) and copies of Curro Camacho´s “Our Friend John Fulton Quixote”. We have also for sale a deluxe copy of his limited edition “Lament for the Death of a Matador”. The book is based on the famous poem of Federico Garcia Lorca about the death of the poet/matador Ignacio Sanchez Mejias. We have several large templates in pencil which John used as the basis for his blood paintings.

Many of John´s black and white prints and etchings are signed in pencil. The collection includes dozens of full color prints of bullfight posters and a magnificent 40 x 28 inch poster for an opera series in Seville. We have also an original oil painting: “Rebolera”.

Much of these works were obtained directly from John after his despidida in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1994 when we showed his work in our San Miguel Galeria Izamal. Additional pieces came from John´s “Sancho Panza”, the matador Curro Camacho in Seville, John´s long-time home in Spain.

We are of retirement age now, and can offer either the entire collection or separate lots (signed prints, posters, books) for not-to-be-missed prices.

We have just updated John´s section of our virtual online gallery www.galeriaizamal.com so you can see the entire collection.

For details, please inquire.

• My cell. 415 215 1591, email: henryavermillion@yahoo.com

• Britt´s cell / WhatsApp 415 115 5888, email: brittzaist@yahoo.com

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AN AIRPLANE WHERE IT SHOULDN´T BE

BY RAY LEGUIZAMO

English Draft Revised by Henry Vermillion

These days, paintbrush in hand, I´m thinking that much of what we qualify as art may be only gestures in the air, blind speculations which have no connections to the earth we live on. It seems an impulse to avoid contact with others in order to seclude oneself in a dark Platonic cave.

     But when I see images of beds burning, or of a couple of kids on the roof watching a cowboy ride a wild bronco, I realize that the art which inspires me is that which tells stories, which invites me to close my eyes to imagine what is going on. Still, art is not just about memory.  It does not ask you where you are from, but rather where you are going. It needs you as a witness, but does not need you to make judgements.

    It can be difficult for the viewer of much of today´s art to relate it to the ordinary events of life.  But art may also be paradoxical, it may celebrate acts of love in enigmatic ways. Artists have mostly ceased to be the spearhead of our consumer-oriented society. Today, art is the last thing we need to use to recognize our image in the mirror of our existence; there is a dizzying sense of vertigo; we look but do not really see. Bare walls stifle our voice so that our neighbor cannot hear us.

     But what about the airplane in my picture? The artist has the luxury of painting whatever comes to mind, without having to worry about the consequences. I´m looking now for an abstraction which is not so abstract, color which affects one´s state of mind; abstraction which is less academic and more metaphorical, more in the direction of the absurd.  Nowadays, painting should be more of a dialogue than a monologue. It should encourage the spectator sitting silently in his corner of the room to break, at last, her silence. Painting not only can provoke, it should invite communication; it can be the cause of celebration and dialogue between two beings whom destiny has brought together by the side of the road.

     But every painting is a failure more than a success. Art opens up a space, and in that space the artist must pick themselves up again and again from failure and go forward as long as his body and health allows. How miraculous it is that art which comes from within the artist’s mind and body--- that capering, that dancing on the page or canvas---can bring us so much light and color.  But it´s up to the artist to put that light and color down well for all to see.

     A painter is one who can guide us to a space furnished with memories: an indoor space with dunes where there is no wind, where an airplane plows through a sky which is not even close to the color of a real sky.  In painting, no matter how many times the artist tries to repeat the same refrain, the result is different, because memory changes things, and frogs are a miracle which sometimes can appear in an arid Texas desert.

UN AVÓN EN DONDE NO DEBE ESTAR

Por  Ray Leguizamo

  Estoy reflexionando estos días, con brocha en mano, que a lo que calificamos como arte solo es un ademán en el aire. Una especulación a ciegas sin conexión a tierra. Un impulso por pasar por alto la interacción con los otros para recluirse en la oscura cueva platónica. 

Pienso un poco en las camas ardiendo y en un par de niños acostados en el tejado mirando un vaquero reducir a un potro salvaje y deduzco que el arte que me inspira es aquel que cuenta historias e invita a cerrar los ojos para ver verdaderamente lo que sucede. El arte no es memoria y no te pregunta de donde eres sino a donde vas. Te convierte en testigo pero no te necesita porque no busca veredicto. 

  La reconciliación del arte con la praxis de la vida arroja al espectador a la pasividad; lo desorienta al ser un acto de amor paradójico y enigmático. Sin embargo aquel que hace arte ya no persigue verdades ni anhela absolutos. Dejó de ser punta de lanza de una sociedad que solo produce para su auto consumo. Así, el arte es lo último que necesitamos para reconocer nuestra imagen en el espejo de la existencia. Un caos de vértigo en donde tus ojos ven pero no miran. Las paredes desnudas encierran tu voz que es inaudible para el vecino.

  Ahora, ¿Por qué los aviones? Qué lujo de artista poder hacer lo que le viene a la mente sin importar las consecuencias. Digo que ahora ando en busca de lo abstracto no tan abstracto, buscando que el color manifieste un estado de ánimo y se aleje más de lo didáctico a lo metafórico rascando lo absurdo. Ahora pintar es más un diálogo que un monólogo. Un intento por terminar con el silencio del que mira desde la esquina discreta. La pintura no provoca, invita a la comunión y es regocijo de una charla entre dos que el destino ha juntado a la orilla del camino. Cada cuadro es caída y no iluminación, porque el arte es hacer brecha y en la brecha se hierra por el instinto de levantarse y seguir, hasta que el cuerpo aguante y la salud no ceda al desgaste. Qué portento de arte aquel que se auto-percibe, se auto-referencia y en esas hermosas cabriolas nos lanza luz y colores. Un artista, especialmente un pintor, no solo debe pensar, debe ejecutar.

El pintor es un stalker que te guía en un viaje a la habitación tapizada de memorias en donde llueve bajo techo y hay dunas subterráneas donde no hay viento. También aereoplanos absurdos surcando un cielo que no es ni de cerca el color del cielo. En la pintura nada sucede dos veces por mucho que repitas el mismo estribillo, porque la memoria es cambiante y las ranas son un milagro que a veces sucede en el desierto texano.

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By Henry Vermillion

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THE “METAMORPHOSIS” SERIES BY ELVIA SAMANIEGO, GALERIA IZAMAL GUEST ARTIST

THE “METAMORPHOSIS” SERIES BY ELVIA SAMANEIGO is part of the “Three Women” exhibition at Galeria Blue Moon (Stirling Dickinson No. 7, San Antonio) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The other artists in this show are Beverly Sky and Ri Anderson. Each of the 32 separate drawings by Elvia Samaniego in the “Metamorphosis” series may be purchased alone or with as many as the client would like. There will be a CLOSING RECEPTION for the show on FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 5 TO 8 PM. Do come to see the show before it is taken down. Days Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am-2pm and 3pm-7pm; Sunday 10 am to 2 pm. Elvia´s presentation/installation alone is a marvelous idea and the execution of the work is fantastic. The other artists that comprise Galeria Blue Moon and who will have work up as well are: Vito Ascencio, Federico Gamaleri, James Gritz, Andrew Klein, Ray Leguizamo, Henry Vermillion and Ernesto Zeivy.

EXPLANATION OF THE “METAMORPHOSIS” SERIES

by Elvia Samaniego

     Life is in constant change.  The changes may come as a completely new way of thinking with our relations with others, through travels which flood us with new experiences; we may confront hostile life landscapes which require us to muster our strengths to regain our balance and to reach peace and happiness.

     I enjoy experimenting with various mediums about “invisible” subjects, things which are real but can´t be seen.  I also love to investigate the changes we all experience with the passage of time and how we change with this new reality as the days go by.

These drawings make up the “Metamorphosis” series.  They capture the movement of life by means of joyous and free expression of the body as time goes by.  The colors change as do emotions and movements transforming themselves into different tones that express the energy that moves us.

   The installation of 32 drawings on paper makes up the series. The drawings were mounted on the wall without puncturing them, making up a metaphor of life. Only the faces and a few details of clothing are in color to emphasize emotions. As the exhibition continues, more details may be filled in.

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL

METAMORFOSIS

Por Elvia Samaniego

La vida es una transformación constante, desde las ideas que suponen una metamorfosis completa de nuestro modo de pensar, la convivencia con los otros, los viajes que nos inundan de experiencias, los paisajes hostiles de la vida a los que nos enfrentamos y como renacemos con fuerzas renovadas para alcanzar el equilibrio y la tan ansiada felicidad y la paz.

Me gusta experimentar con diferentes técnicas abordando temas de reflexión hacia los “invisibles”, los que existen pero no se ven y su confrontación con la realidad. Asimismo, me apasiona indagar sobre los cambios que experimentamos a lo largo del tiempo y la manera en que que se modifican el ser y el individuo de acuerdo a la experiencia en el día a día.

Estos dibujos forman la serie “Metamorfosis” y sugieren el movimiento de la vida a través de la libre expresión del cuerpo al transitar el tiempo cambiando de colores según el momento y las emociones, porque a cada paso se transforman manifestándose en tonalidades diferentes que expresan la energía que nos mueve.

La instalación con 32 dibujos se colocaron en el muro evitando perforarlos recreando una composición que es una metáfora de la existencia. Solo las caras y algunos detalles de la ropa están pintados para referir las emociones que expresamos. Conforme transcurra la exhibición se irán completando hasta obtener todos los detalles.

La Serie “Metamorfosis” de la artista Elvia Samaniego forma parte de la exhibición “Tres Mujeres” que se presenta en la Galería Blue Moon (Stirling Dickinson 7) de San Miguel de Allende juntos a las artistas Beverly Sky y Ri Anderson. Cada pieza de la serie se puede vender individualmente o varias juntas... una vez que termine la exhibición.

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By Britt Zaist

   Bet you didn't get swell Valentines like these.
The large one is for 2022 and the smaller one: "PS" is for 2023 from my husband, Henry Vermillion. I took a photo to add them to the Valentine card we have used for 34 years (so far). I will photograph that card - originally full of Hallmark impossible promises and later lots of real promises and tries over the years. We lost it for a year in one move...and one of our cats, Clyde peed on it once...but tried and true it's still being faithfully used...with addendums to the original.
One of the people in Henry's life drawing class on Tuesday nights saw the 2022 & 2023 Valentines pinned to the fridge and asked - "Who did those?" Henry responded "Me!" She said no more but quietly walked away...The true and amusing part is that the "fine" artist can do anything from the most amateurish to the most Michelangelo- ish...and not be concerned with what others think - coming from a well-earned confidence point. Whereas - we art whores (your truly) would never take that chance.
Here´s to many more Valentine Day´s addendums.

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 JIM NEWELL

By Henry Vermillion

In the mid-nineties, I saw a local Player´s Workshop production of “A Man for All Seasons”, the play about Sir Thomas More and sixteenth- century royal politics in England. More was the solid moral anchor who was also the thorn in the side of the King Henry the Eighth. More paid for his advice to the Trump-like king with a trip to the chopping block. The actor who played More was new to me. He seemed clearly a talented professional, as he actually was. Jim Newell had arrived in San Miguel.

Not long after, Jim made himself available for small or large roles with the bi-weekly San Miguel Playreaders productions. Still later, I was pleased when he asked me to do a search for a space in San Miguel to house a dream he had long nurtured: to establish a new theater here. A space was found—and with the help of fellow actors and fellow golfers— the space was renovated. The San Miguel Playhouse opened with its first show, “Moonlight and Magnolias”, in 2014.

Jim´s life was Theater. He was an actor, director, producer, and promoter. A Chicago native, he earned a Ph.D. in Theater from Wayne State University, worked as an actor in New York for seven years, and did film and television work for many years in California. He was a cast regular on the “Dallas” TV series, and for three years did nationally broadcast TV commercials for Jell-O Puddings, a gig he often made fun of.

In “Moonlight and Magnolias”, Jim played the Bogart-like director Victor Fleming, who was hired to direct “Gone with the Wind” in mid-production. When the producer David Selznick wants to know if Fleming knows Clark Gable, Jim/ Fleming growls “Know him? I taught Gable to BE Gable!”

Sadly, Jim died last year. He is greatly missed, but his contributions to theater and to life in San Miguel will live on.

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